Chapter 97
Gabriel grabs the brush and then looks over Lucia’s hair, he picks up the top layer to find a mass of knots lying underneath. His eyes widen in horror.
“What in the rat’s nest is this?”
Must
Yust brush it.”
“What?”
“Pull the brush through the knots.”
“I don’t know if you’ve seen these knots, Violet, but this isn’t a simple brush–through kind of
situation.”
“Give me the brush.” I hold out my good hand, and he passes it over. I begin to quickly brush through the knots. Lucia screws up her face as her head pulls back with each stroke.
“Enough.” Gabriel snatches the brush from me. That’s barbaric.” He begins to brush through her
hair slowly and carefully.
“You’re going to be late.”
“I don’t give a flying…” He looks around and remembers where he is. “That’s fine.” He continues brushing at a snail’s pace.
Dominic rolls his eyes and snatches the brush from Gabriel. “Let me do it.” He grabs the scrunchie and puts her hair into a ponytail, it’s messy but it will do.
God help the photos today; they are going to be a disaster.
“Off you go,” I tell them.
“When I get back, we have to go to my house. I have a Zoom meeting at eleven and I need an office,” he tells me.
“Okay.”
Chapter 47
I get a quick kiss on the cheek and the three of them run down the stairs and I hear the car take off. I smile into the silence. First morning down…
Violet
“Your coffee, madam.” Gabriel smiles as he reappears after the school drop. He passes me a cup of coffee and sits on the bed beside me. The morning sunlight is beaming on his face, and today seems much brighter. I give him the once–over, his hair is wild, the two cords are hanging out of his track pants, and he has his T–shirt on inside out. “Did you….”
“Did I what?”
“Go into the coffee shop like that?” “Yeah, why?” He frowns.
“Your shirt is on inside out.”
“No, it’s not.” He glances down to look at himself and his face falls. “Oh my god. It’s happening.”
I giggle at his horror. “What’s happening?
“I’m turning into one of them…”
“You mean an exhausted parent who is trying their best to survive each day?”
His eyes search mine. “Last night was a disaster, wasn’t it?”
“Not at all.”
He sips coffee with a defeated demeanor.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought I’d be better at this.”
I smile at his delusion. “Every parent thinks they’ll be better at this, until you’re in the trenches you have no idea how hard it is.”
“I know why you let me come here and look after you.” He sips his coffee.
“You do?”
Chapter 97
“You thought this would push me away and I’d run for the hills, didn’t you?” His eyes hold mine. “Am
I right?”
We stare at each other as silent confirmation runs between us. “It’s not over yet, you still have time
to run.” I smile, and then a thought comes to me. “Why did you offer to do this? I know how busy you
are.”
“Because you and the children are my responsibility now. I want to be the one who cares for you.”
(he children are your responsibility, not me.”
he children are your re
“Violet.”
I don’t answer him.
“Look at me.” I drag my eyes to meet his. “I’m here for you, not the children. I can have a
relationship with them from wherever I am relationship with you that I want.”
a
“Why would you want a relationship with me?” “Because I love you.” My eyes search his.
“And I need you to love me back,” he whispers. “So we can get past this and be happy.”
“It’s not that easy, Gabriel.”
“Then tell me how to make it easy. I can’t fix it if you won’t even let me in to talk about it.”
I fidget with a cushion on my bed as I search for the right wording. “Do you even want to try to fix
us?” he asks.
I nod.
“Then talk to me.”
“I can’t explain it. I guess…
“Yes, I’m listening.”
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